May 6, 2012

It doesn't really count — it was just an exhibition game between the L.A. Sparks and the Chinese National Team — but Nneka hasn't missed a beat in her transition from college to pro. She played for 25 minutes and led her team with 20 points and 11 rebounds. She made 57% of her attempted field goals and all four of her free throws. Box score here

May 5, 2012

Candice Wiggins is caught right in the middle. She's a 25-year-old, fifth-year WNBA player out of Stanford that has a youthful demeanor mixed with a veteran's presence. She lights up the LifeTime Fitness Training Center with her energy but also has the knowledge to take control of a practice filled with rookies and invitees.

May 1, 2012

The 2011-12 season is over for the ten Stanford alumnae playing abroad. It ended prematurely for three of them:

Cissy Pierce played only ten games this season. She began the season with Halle in Germany, but left the team in late October in order to get surgical correction of a foot problem. She returned to the court in February with a different German team, Marburg. Her season ended five weeks later after she dislocated her shoulder.

Jeanette Pohlen played for Tarsus (in Turkey), but left the team in mid-January for personal reasons, saying she, "... had to do what was best for me."

Kayla Pedersen got entangled in team politics. She played for Good Angels Kosice (in Slovakia). Kosice played in EuroLeague Women, the international European competition, where they were eliminated in Round 2. Subsequently, the coach was fired by the team manager due to a "breakdown in communication and a loss of mutual trust". Kayla's contract was terminated the next day (02/29/12) as part of a move to reduce expenses. For more details about the seamy side of professional basketball, see:

Fenerbahce had another excellent season. It was the regular season champion with a 19-3 win-loss record and won the TKBL championship for the seventh consecutive season.

Fenerbahce made it to the Final Four of EuroLeague Women, after losing superstar Penny Taylor to a torn ACL during the Final Eight. It lost its semi-final game, so ended at fourth place in the competition.

Kristen averaged 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in the Turkish league games. She averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in the EuroLeague games.

Wisla dominated the Polish League (PLKK) again this season. It were the regular season champion with a 25-1 win-loss record and the PLKK Tournament champion.

It finished as the #8 team in EuroLeague Women, losing in the Final Eight.

Nicole averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals in the Polish league games. She led her team in scoring in the EuroLeague games with 15.5 points and had the second-most rebounds (6.4).

Comense placed third in their league (Italy A1) with a 16-6 win-loss record. This was a big improvement over their prior season's 11-11 sixth place finish. The team played very well in the league playoffs too before losing the fifth game in the best-of-five semifinal round. The game report in the Comense website said, "The heart and the courage was not enough ... so the curtain falls on a fantastic season."

Brooke and Jillian were major factors in the team's success.

Brooke led the team in rebounds (8.6 rpg, #4 in the league) and blocks (0.4 bpg). She made 50% of her field goal attempts and was the team's second-best scorer (12.7 ppg, #8 in the league).

Jillian was the team's third-best scorer (11.9 ppg, #10 in the league) and second-best rebounder (8.2 rpg, #6 in the league). She had double-doubles in eleven of her 29 games.